Success is surely just around the corner. And maybe it is but you’ve got to go and find it. For many startups or existing businesses that means getting out there and selling.
Selling conjures up many negative images but without sales your business is destined to fail so you need to dismiss those images and present your wares. Your first presentation might be littered with errors, but, you know your stuff so persevere and before you know it you’ll have a perfectly honed presentation that works. The skill is making that presentation over and over again but making it seem like that you’re delivering it for the very first time. Try to embellish your presentation with examples and stories to back up your points and, wherever possible, use humour.
Don’t be afraid of objections, they prove that your potential client is actually listening. Think of a presentation as a long road. Your objective is to take your potential client along that road and reach the other end which is the sale. They will inevitably want to go down side turnings but you must bring them back to your highlighted route. Being sidetracked might be interesting but can easily take you out of your comfort zone so stick to what you know best. With your expert knowledge when you reach the end of the presentation you should have a sale. You still have one thing to do though and it’s called asking the question. There are many ways of doing this so choose what ever you like but you have to ask for the business.
Sales will start coming and the next thing to do is to ask for referrals. Think about when you buy something, you tell your friends how good it is and your new client will be just the same. Get testimonials too, if you’re delivering good service they are a great marketing tool.
Some sales take longer than others so you might have to follow up. Don’t allow yourself to fall into just doing that by email. After all, how many emails do you ignore? Follow up by telephone, reinforce the relationship and gain people’s trust.
You may well not consider yourself to be a salesperson but you could well be the only one your business has so, put aside those negative thoughts, and start to make those presentations.